Inland fishermen have appealed to the State government to give relief to them “as the dry waterbodies had wiped out their livelihood.”
Led by P. Murugesan, the fishermen, who submitted a petition to Collector M. Karunakaran on Monday, said over 2,500 of them used to catch freshwater fish in the Tamirabharani and in channels and tanks being fed by the river. Since flow of water in the river had dwindled owing to a drought-like situation prevailing in the district, it had seriously affected their livelihood.
“Since we have lost the means to earn even the meagre money we got by selling the fish, we are not able to feed our children. Hence, the government should give us relief to tide over the situation and a subsidised loan of ₹1 lakh,” the petitioners said.
“Ensure pay parity”
Temporary sanitary workers of urban civic bodies submitted a petition to the Collector seeking an increase in wages on a par with permanent workers. “We are working on a contract basis for the past 13 years on a daily wage of ₹168 to ₹228 while the permanent workers get up to ₹700. There should not be pay disparity,” they said. Services of those who had worked for 2 to 13 years must be regularised with benefits such as health insurance and provident fund, they said.
“Seize motor pumps”
Residents of Mela Meignanapuram in Tenkasi taluk submitted a petition seeking action against those who had fitted motors in the domestic drinking water connection. The petitioners said they had been getting drinking water either from domestic connections or public tap.
After the water supply dwindled with the onset of summer, some of the residents had fitted motor pumps in the domestic drinking water connection, thus denying water supply in other connections and in public taps. Hence, the officials should seize the motor pumps, they said.
